


No Rest for the Weary (Unless Daichi Says So)

by saltae_lattae (riseseokjins)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Canon Compliant, Fluff, Gen, Introspection, One Shot, Pre-Time Skip, a lil deep, i wrote this for a zine application and forgot to upload it oops, this takes place before the nekoma match
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-05
Updated: 2020-12-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:07:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27886507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riseseokjins/pseuds/saltae_lattae
Summary: The Karasuno first and second years are crazy and will practice until they drop, but that's where the trustworthy third years come into play. Or rather, just Daichi.
Kudos: 12





	No Rest for the Weary (Unless Daichi Says So)

**Author's Note:**

> it's been so long since i've written anything so this is um,,, rough,,, so yeah enjoy
> 
> the zine i used this fic to apply for is the Sprout LGBT HQ Zine! come support us on twitter!

A bead of sweat roughly rolled down Noya's face, the harsh panting never ceased, yet the blinding, wide-eyed, toothy grin remained spread across his glistening features. Despite the exhaustion that shot through his legs, he steadied himself once more for another receive from Hinata.

From behind him, he heard a warm chuckle echo, "Nishinoya, keep up that pace, and you'll end up on a stretcher by the end of practice."

Turning to reply, Noya's mouth opened, but before any words could form, a rapid-speed ball had been served over the net and across the court. Time stopped in that moment, and his instincts kicked in as he swiftly darted forth.

"Rolling Thunder!" Noya yelled as he dove into a lightning fast roll. He successfully received the ball and sent it high into the stifling air of the gym. A bright grin exploded onto his features, and he chuckled to himself in pride as the ball bounced against the ground. Noya's hair bounced as he jumped up and down in glee, "One more! One more!"

Hinata delightfully returned Noya's blinding smile with his own before joining Noya in hopping like a child who had eaten too much cake. 

This time, it was Kageyama who served for Noya.

"Alright, Nishinoya-san, here it comes!"

On the sidelines, Daichi shook his head in fond exasperation.

"Now hold your horses," Daichi said as he raised an arm and massaged the back of his neck. "You three look like you're about to break. Get some rest for a bit."

Noya's face contorted in confusion at Daichi's suggestion, "What do you mean rest? But we've only just started, and I want to get my next move perfected as soon as possible!"

Daichi sighed at the tiny buffoons trying to charm their way into working themselves to death.

"I can understand wanting to improve," Daichi began, exchanging eye contact with the sweaty boys. "But you have to remember to take care of yourself too. Take a break, the ball will still be waiting for you when you don't feel like you're about to keel over and die anymore. You're more useful when you're alive."

Noya and Hinata locked eyes for a split second and failed to hold back their conniving mischievous grins. Noya looked up at Daichi while Hinata slowly, but with fervor, shuffled towards the volleyballs. Kageyama could only sigh in embarrassment.

"Daichi-san, remember last week when I caught you eyeing Suga-" Before Noya could finish saying the sentence, Daichi whipped his hand out and covered Noya's mouth, a deadly, dark aura emanating from his body. Noya's eyes shook in pure fear, and sweat rolled down his face even faster than before as he struggled in Daichi's iron grip.

Daichi let a sadistic grin slide across his face that darkened with each second that went by as he cut Noya's muffled pleas off.

"Nishinoya," he menacingly growled in anger. "If you say another word, I will see to it that you will end up on that stretcher myself. And not from overexertion. You won't live to play the next match against Nekoma."

"And you!" Daichi turned to Hinata who was frozen in cold stone fear. "Don't think you're getting out of this either. Diving drills, all of you!"

Kageyama recoiled in shock, "Wait, why do I have to do them too!?"

While Hinata pouted and begrudgingly accepted his punishment, Noya, still trapped in Daichi's death grip, managed to squeeze out a few meager words.

"B-but I thought you wanted us to take a break!" Noya whined in pain. "Shouyo, how could you just give up like that!"

"I'm sorry! He's just too scary!"

"Hinata, you bastard, this is because of you!"

"That was then, this is now," Daichi deadpanned, his eyes twitching. "If you don't do these drills, you're sleeping in the gym tonight."

Resigned to his fate, Noya wiggled out of Daichi's death hold and sluggishly dove onto the ground like a penguin. He whined in agony with each dive.

"Do it properly!"

"Yes, captain..."

Across the gym, Asahi shrugged and sighed in pity, turning to Suga. "Do you think they'll be okay?" 

Suga glanced at Asahi and collected his thoughts before he ultimately shook his head and chuckled, "Just be glad you weren't the one who felt Daichi's wrath this time."

Asahi shuddered at the thought of their fearless leader cracking down on them, and his arms wrapped around his body in horror.

"Let's get back to practice before that happens."

Before they could return to syncing up, Noya bolted over from his half completed diving drills. 

Practically body slamming Asahi and latching onto him, he rambunctiously yelled, "Let me join too! Let me join too! Asahi-san, I'll receive your spikes!"

Noya had basically turned into an oversized koala clinging onto the tree that was Asahi. 

"How'd you escape from Daichi?" Suga asked with a boyish grin, a mischievous glint shining in his eyes.

Noya turned his head towards and cracked a smirk. “My position isn’t libero for nothing! Slipping away was a piece of cake!”

“Hinata still doing diving drills?” Suga cackled. “Better be careful or else Daichi might recapture you.”

Suga peeked over Noya’s spiked hair and spotted the bright orange head still diving in place over the horizon. Noya enthusiastically nodded, “But Shouyo is fine! Let’s keep practicing before Daichi-san-”

“Before Daichi-san what?”

A chill ran down both Suga and Noya’s spines, and Asahi quietly backed away as timidly as possible. Without a moment’s delay Suga sprung into action.

“Daichi! Here! I caught him for you! Take him away to your dungeon!” Suga yelled, eyes tightly squeezed shut as he gripped Noya’s shoulders and abruptly pushed him forward. “I offer you this small child in return for your dearest blessings!”

“W-wait!” Noya called out in panic. “Suga-san, how could you betray me like this!?"

Suga smirked in devious glee, "I have no clue what you're babbling on about. He's all yours, Daichi!"

Daichi grabbed the back of Noya’s shirt and hauled him off while Suga could only watch in pure relief. By the time Daichi had fully contained and subdued Noya for a second time, Hinata had already finished his set of diving drills and was back to finding someone else to practice with.

“Sucks, Noya-san,” Hinata smiled, eyes creasing into crescent shapes. “I’ll just practice with Kageyama-kun instead while you’re busy-”

Before Hinata could finish his sentence, Daichi glared and cut in once more, “Didn’t I say you should take a break?”

“It’s always a never ending cycle with those three, isn’t it?” Asahi tiredly mused, exhausted from watching the youngsters bicker with each other and their captain. “You think they’ll ever learn?”

Suga sighed and sheepishly smiled, bringing his hands up and shrugging, “Who can really say? I’m enjoying the entertainment every day. Think they'll keep it up?”

He turned to face the vague direction of the three boys being reprimanded by their stern yet caring captain, cupped his mouth with his hands, and shouted across the gym.

“Keep working hard, you three! I know you can do it! Keep being…” Suga physically shook as he tried to hold in his intense laughter, ”awesome!”

Asahi swore that he saw stars ignite in the eyes of the rambunctious troublemakers from the flattery, yet it was too late. There was nothing he could do as Suga continued to inflate their egos for his own chaotic enjoyment. 

“Suga, don’t you think this is a bad idea?”

“You worry too much, Asahi.”

Asahi reached up to fix the strands of hair that had fallen out of his bun and sighed for what must have been the 20th time that day.

“... I think Daichi is going to scold them until they’re lifeless shells…” Asahi mused, tilting his head ever so slightly. “Maybe we should help them out?”

Suga locked eyes with Asahi, humming in thought, “Maybe… or maybe not.”

“Nishinoya, have fun sleeping in the gym tonight!” he called, walking towards the boys still sitting motionless on the ground in light of Daichi’s nagging. He swore he could see their souls flying out of their bodies. “Hinata, let’s get stretched and washed up so we can get out of here.”

The look of disbelief and betrayal that flew across Noya’s faces was truly one for the record books. For the second time that day, Suga had thrown Noya at a wolf, the wolf being Daichi and Daichi alone. 

Asahi couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He imagined what it felt like being Noya in that moment and groaned, shoving his face into his hands.

Noya whined in annoyance, “But what about me? I feel like a bird locked up in a sweaty gym cage!”

Hinata grinned and hopped up from his perch, stumbling on numb legs.

“But I don’t want to go home yet!” Hinata chirped. “Can you toss for me, Sugawara-san?”

Suga’s eyes twitched in disbelief, mouth slightly widening into a grimace. Quickly spinning back to face Asahi, he muttered to himself, hand on his chin in thought, “Unbelievable. There’s no hope for these children. We must leave them to be sacrificed.” 

Asahi whipped his head to Suga, eyes wide, “You’re a demon.”

Suga karate chopped Asahi in the side and sweetly smiled.

“Now that’s not a nice thing to say, sweet, tender-hearted Asahi.”

He groaned in pain and held his side, swiftly walking away to get changed in peace without the threat of his demonic teammate.

The night progressed on, Suga and Asahi having opted to observe from afar at the edge of the gym despite their desire to leave. Daichi had joined them at some point, taking a break from the intense practice the younger teammates were forcing themselves through. Fondly, they watched on as their hardworking underclassmen worked themselves half to death. But a question lingered in the air amongst the third years.

"Think they'll be okay?" Suga mumbled.

Even though Suga had asked the same question earlier in the night, they knew what he meant was if the first years would be okay without the third years there to keep them from self-destructing. Suga's eyes fell to the ground as he reminisced on the past year he had spent with the first years.

They had thoughts about it before, but none had ever been voiced. Yet while they watched the young middle blocker who was hungry for victory, the humbled setter, and the impassioned libero yearning for freedom, they all shared the same thought.

"They'll be okay," Daichi smiled, eyes softening just the slightest. "They may be idiots who never know when to stop and think, but they'll be okay."

"... Yeah," Suga looked up and met Daichi's reassuring gaze. "Yeah, they will. And we'll be okay wherever we end up when this year ends too."

Asahi leaned against the wall, softly smiling at his teammates.

"Well, let's get them to go home and rest already. We can't be replaced if our replacements work themselves to death."

Daichi laughed, "You're right, Asahi. I'll take care of these rascals. You two get some rest too."

Daichi pushed himself off the wall with a soft grunt. Suga watched as Daichi's broad back became smaller, yet just as reliable, as he made his way across the gym to scold the boys again. 

"I think we really will be okay," Suga thought to himself, smiling and closing his eyes. He sucked in a deep breath and with a great exhale, sauntered out of the gym and into the darkness with Asahi in tow. He stole one last glance back into the gym to see their stern yet empathetic captain dragging Noya, Hinata, and Kageyama off to his dungeon.

Suga cracks a smile, giggling to himself, "We don't have much time left, so might as well make the last of our days the most important ones."

"What?" Asahi's eyes widened as he let out a confused noise. "Why do you make it sound like we're dying? I really hate it when you get like this."

"I'll never forget you, even when we've moved on and you're gone."

"Suga, knock it off!"

The response Asahi got was a skillfully placed karate chop to the side and an innocent, saccharine smile.


End file.
